A Meteor Smash is an aerial move introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee in which you can smash an opponent downwards quickly. In Melee, the opponent can cancel the Meteor Smash by jumping or using an upwards third jump attack immediately after being struck. If the meteor smashed person is holding up and/or a jump button when struck by the Meteor Smash and the control stick and/or jump button goes back to their neutral position, he/she can Meteor Cancel too.
Meteor Cancels become more difficult to perform at higher damages because the character flies downwards at a higher speed as damage increases. It's possible to Meteor Cancel at any time still being in air during the character's tumbling animation, but it's obviously better to do it as soon as possible.
In Brawl, Meteor Cancels can still be performed, but can no longer be performed immediately after being hit. It's only possible to meteor cancel after falling about half of the original distance. Both double jump, triple jump and tether recoveries can be used to meteor cancel, but their are exceptions, such as Pit's Up Special and jumps. Any character in Melee and most in Brawl can Meteor Cancel with their second jump.
Meteor Smashing is useful against characters without effective triple jumps (i.e. Ike, Yoshi) who have limited use for an Up+B Meteor Cancel.
See also
- Spike – a Meteor Smash that cannot be canceled.
- Semi spike – a move that hits the opponent at a very low angle, minimizing recovery opportunities.
- Footstool Jump – a Super Smash Bros. Brawl technique in which a character can jump on their opponent's head. If done in air it causes a Meteor Smash